Ribbons of Red
by Gingertales
Summary: AU, Intertwining Series: What if Momo Hinamori was not born to the same district as Toshiro Hitsugaya? What if it was a different fate that befell her?-One without the warmth and safety of a loving grandmother and a kind friend, or law and safety of the inner districts? What if it was so much worse?
1. The Mouse Trap

**Chapter One**

**The Mouse Trap**

**...**

It was cold. It was always cold. From the moment she woke up one day, in this strange world of ghosts and ghouls, it was cold, and she hungered for warmth.

She didn't know if she could call it luck or misfortune that she couldn't recall her life before death. It happened sometimes. Sometimes something would happen in the transition of the soul from the human world to the soul society, like traumatic death or negligence on the part of the shinigami, and things would get messed up. In some cases people would come to the soul society broken; suffering from mental disorders such as schizophrenia or depression, some losing the ability to feel emotion. Sometimes the souls would come out like a clean slate, lucky if they remember their own name. But these were the most mild of cases.

It got worse. Sometimes the soul would come out looking anything but human. Sometimes their limbs were gangly or elongated. Sometimes their teeth and nails were razor sharp. Sometimes they had the head and body of a beast, and others couldn't even be called that.

In the mild cases, the soul was free to go about business like any other. Those that forgot their names were given new ones, and told the simple little lie that they 'might remember one day'. Those who suffered mentally often took their own lives; hoping to be happier in their reincarnated life. Those who suffered more severe defects took often took paths very different; some hid away, some tried their earnest to blend in with society, some became shinigami, and some just disappeared. Rumours often spread of strange clans in distant lands, and perhaps some born of frightful looks sought them out.

No one really talked about it - about them.

Even the little girl, with stony brown eyes and thick black hair, was given a name and told to keep quiet. What ever happened was an accident. There was nothing to worry about, and there was nothing that could be done. She was lucky she only forgot. She just needed to continue living like everyone else. 'No one really dwells on their past life, anyway' she was told, 'It doesn't matter, just be glad you don't have to worry about putting anything behind you'. Then she was sent away, assigned to live with a household that no longer existed, quickly ending up with the dregs and misfits of the province, taking refuge in what was called The Mouse Trap.

...

**Author's Note: **Thank you for reading- this is my first fanfiction. Apologies for the short length of this chapter- the next one will be much longer. I would very much appreciate insightful reviews!  
>Updates will be largely irregular- though at the moment it looks like Thursday may be the day.<br>I do not own Bleach.


	2. The Way Things Were

**Chapter Two**

**The Ways Things Were**

...

The wind howled, and the building crept. It was a run down, old marketplace store - once no doubt the hub of many workers and customers alike. That's how everything in the Mouse Trap was. Dead, defeated, aged and decrepit. There was some horrible tale that was tied to everything that lined the old marketplace square. One of blood and death and misfortune, one that no decent man or woman would dare tell a group of children when what was now dubbed 'The Mouse Trap' was the only place that they could take refuge.

"Hey, Momo?" Whispered one of the girls, her voice so soft and hoarse, it was any guess which.  
>"Yeah?" Momo croaked, wringing closer to the source of the sound. The closer she moved the greater the smell grew. It was the smell of rot. The smell of the decrepit, wooden structure they sleep in, festering and withering away. <em>'<em>_I guess everything dies, even here.'  
><em>"I can't sleep." Her voice was louder, then, the high hitching to the tail of her works, and the croak that followed implying the child to be on the brink of tears.  
>The older girl sighed slightly, finally able to pin the name to the voice. "Where are you, Aya-chan?" Her words were soft, a gentle lull in the frigid air.<br>There was movement, the slightest amount, Ayame obviously trying to make her way to the older girl herself. "I'm…" she murmured, drawing closer, "Here."

A cold hand shot out of the impenetrable darkness, and cradled Momo's cheek, Ayame's small face still shrouded in darkness. She gave what looked like a smile, and a forced giggle, "You're warm, Momo-chan." _'No, I'm not'_. Momo thought. _'You're just like ice.'  
><em>Momo's hand covered Ayame's, before she soothing her. "Shhh…" she trailed, "We don't want to wake the others." Another sound of movement shortly followed, and a sigh and another figure squirming towards them after that.  
>"Too late." His voice was gruff, irritation perhaps too evident.<p>

Momo swallowed hard. There weren't a great number of older children who kept with the company, they normally hit their teens and took off, at times taking one or two of the younger under their wing as well. Rumour had it that some even went on to become Shinigami. A tsk rasped from the boy, and a chill split the raven haired girl's spine, she knew exactly who her murmurings had woken. "I'm sorry, Ryōta-kun." _'I hope he's not mad.'_ Her voice hitched to a higher pitch at the end of her words, noticeable even with her soft and timid tone.  
>The older boy grumbled and sighed, shadowed figure settling down closer to the girls. "Don't worry about it. It's a rough night."<em> 'They all are.' <em>She berated herself for such worry- reminding herself that the boy saw himself as one of the guardians over the little flock, and his own soft spot for Ayame. Still, she herself had aches that cut to her bone, and she was not anywhere near how taxed Ryōta often found himself.

The little trio dissolved into silence, with Momo settling herself down where she was, refusing to let go of Ayame's small hand. Ryōta seemed content as he was, with Momo unable to detect any further movement from him, save for heavy breaths. Another cold breeze shot through the room, and Ayame's grasp tightened, the girl nudging closer to her seniors. The former let out a squeak, chills riveting her spine. "Come closer, Aya-chan" she beckoned, tugging the younger girl closer. There was a startlingly loud clatter as the younger one crawled towards her senior, her hands outstretched as she made the short distance, terrified she might cut herself in the junk and who-knew-what lining the floor.

When Ayame's small back curled against Momo's somewhat larger chest, the ice slid through the older girl's veins. _'She's so cold.'_ Momo pulled her junior closer, arms tight around the small child. "It's going to be ok," Momo began soothing, more to herself than anyone else, "Everything is going to be alright." There was a soft rumbling behind her, followed by a pressure and warmth on her back. She chucked a glance over her shoulder, before seeing what looked like the light brown mess of Ryōta's hair. They often slept like that - back to back, comrades, brother and sister in arms, as much like family as Momo had ever known. He was the first kind soul she'd met in the damned province she'd been sent to, with Ayame at his side. The raven haired girl would not forget the simple kindness that they spared her- their own tears, albeit the former's were fake, convincing the already stretched thin, self-proclaimed 'Shepard' to allow her to join with their little group.

Such little masses weren't uncommon – larger groups of people in disparity banding together for safety in sleep and night, the troupe that Momo had found herself lucky enough to join a group that was largely abandoned young. She figured that had she not happened upon the two, that she'd have been taken in by others, but there was just as much chance that a quick death would have met her, killed for her clothes or shoes or used as an extra to some self proclaimed gang. The possibilities were limitless- and quite equally terrifying.

This was the reality of the outer districts of the Rukongai.

Ryōta took in a deep breath, before murmuring his final words for the night - a promise he made too often - "We're going to get out of here, one day. I promise." The words cut straight through her, and ache to her chest, and the prickling of tears to her eyes. Maybe if he kept telling them that- maybe one day she'd believe him. It took a great effort to bite back any comment on the matter, too often her own woes and worries had been shortly crushed by her brother, and it was with a bitter sniffle that returned her focus to Ayame, holding her tightly as she whispered of the joys of sun and warmth.

The hours wore by, but eventually Momo could hear the constant, deep sleeping breaths of Ayame, and the quiet snore of Ryōta. Then she, too, gave into the allure of sleep, forcing herself to disregard the cold that bit at her fingers and threatened to take them all in their sleep.

...

Momo awoke with a start the next morning, fear running wrought in her as she found herself alone in the crippled old building. "Ayame?" she called, eyes darting about the place, worry settling in. "Ryōta? Ayame?" She shivered at the horrid thoughts that were foremost in her mind, barely able to settle herself enough to stand steadily on her small feet.

It was well into morning, sun shining through the cracks and holes of the roof above, illuminating the wreck and rot that she and the other orphaned kids had chosen to sleep in that night. It wasn't unusual for the group to crash somewhere so random, though it was one of the first nights that Momo herself knew of, where they'd been given the option as to where to rest their heads. There were several groups of orphans in The Mouse Trap, or so she'd heard the older kids talk, all run and looked after by elders, aunts, and uncles- the few who were able to find enough work and kindness to give all they could to the children; often becoming homeless themselves in the process. She once heard that the kind 'parents' who lead them were seen as the social workers or 'saints' of the district, and were lucky enough to gain first preference when local stores offered light work and chores. But there was a sense of community between the few groups. The elders often spoke to one another, and coordinated movements. For Momo's small troupe to be given an actual choice as to where to make their camp, of sorts- meant that something strange had occurred, or so she thought. Fear ripped through her that perhaps it meant that the groups were coming to end, or that perhaps one of the others had collapsed, and that was the reason why they such choice. Was that why she was left alone? They'd all dispersed and no one wanted to be saddled with her company? She hadn't thought of such gruesome possibilities the night before. Everything seemed normal. Such worried thoughts couldn't be helped - afterall, the district was borderline - not quite so poverty-ridden to be classified as one of the outermost and 'hopeless' districts, but so close to being one that the gap between the richest and the poorest was horrifying, with those classed as being 'middle' being those merely able to afford the pleasantries of food, water, clothing, and housing. The thought that perhaps those that once led them had then had enough was not a far stretch, not in the slightest.

She didn't want to believe it. She didn't want such thoughts poisoning her mind. She took a deep breath, calming her racing heart as well she could, and focusing her efforts into locating the group. They can't be far. She reasoned. They may have gone towards the woods. _'That's right. We always go and play in the woods in the morning.'_ She swallowed hard, turning her head towards the door of the place. _'But still, why was I left here alone?'_ She gave the room a final once over, uncertainty of the situation clouding her mind. She took even steps towards the exit, the bleak clay road outside already in sight. She took another large step and the whole room groaned, then took half a dozen more in fright. By the time she reached the door, and peaked her little head outside, she'd gained enough confidence to see her journey through, only to see it wasted, her orphan family huddled around an elder some dozen meters down the road. _'So, what? Occhan was telling a story and they all left me behind?'_ Her fright of the thought of being left alone was quickly replaced by the knot that came with the knowledge that she _was_ left behind.

Momo gave a hard look at the crowd, disregarding her own emotion as she sought to make something of the mixture of feelings she saw written on the faces of the other children. Some seemed star struck, others overjoyed, and some down right distraught. "You betta' go join em', kiddo," cooed an old man from behind,sudden appearance having the skittish girl jump. "Big news, I hear."  
>Momo looked up at the man with a blank expression, involuntarily committing his shabby look to memory - his deep smile lines, his shaggy grey hair, his absurdly tall height for a man of his age - before remembering her manners, jumping as she feared a scolding. "Thank you, sir," she chimed, bowing as deeply as her sore body could manage.<br>The old man nodded, and waved her off with a toothless grin, before she went barreling down the street, eyes searching the mob for Ayame and Ryōta as she did so. _'Where are you…'_ she lulled in her mind, before spotting the spiky brown hair of Ryōta sticking high above the crowed, and the small form and blonde mass of hair that belonged to none other than Ayame close by him.

"Good morning, sunshine." Called the elder heading the group, his blue eyes gleaming with pride. "Have a good sleep in?" he jested.  
>Momo was startled, and stared open-mouthed as she thought up a way to reply. "Yeah…" she settled, eyes flitting between the man and her two friends. He gave her a brisk nod, before Momo saw it fit to squirm through the several children in front to get to Ayame, at least.<br>"Does someone want to fill little Momo in on the good news?" The old man continued, his eyes still stuck on the child, gaze momentarily dwelling on the slight glint of violet her hair possessed. There was a quiet shuffling about the place, and although it seemed that another of the older girls -the only one older than Ryōta - seemed like she was about to break the news - what ever it was - it was Ayame who chose to speak.  
>"Ryōta, Asami, and Rikichi are going to apply to become shi-shin-shi-ni" she said, words muddled.<br>"-Shinigami." Ryōta finished, "The elders have decided that it would be best for us to apply to become shinigami, since we're old enough… And anything is better than here," his words trailed slightly, his eyes to the ground, no doubt wondering how true his words were.  
>Ayame spoke again, her voice trembling, "And they found me n' Akira a home." She thought for a moment more, then added "Cos' we're the youngest n all… we're spose' to leave now," The small child then took Momo's hand and held it tightly. "We're not 'spose to come back."<p>

Momo cast a bewildered look to Ryōta, meeting his uncertain gaze, a gruff nod following. "She can't move forward if she's forever tied to this place, y'know. If cutting all ties is what it takes - then that is what she'll have to do. She needs this," his words carried a hollow ring, signifying that he was trying to convince himself of the words he spoke. _'He's right.'_ She reasoned, then refocusing her attention on the small child, and squeezing her hand as she took to forcing a smile.  
>"I'm glad, Aya-chan. But don't go forgetting about me - we're family, too." She was then wary of the eyes cast upon her, and decided not to speak of it too much, instead she settled for a long hug. "I won't forget you, never in a billion years," Momo sung, tightening her own hold on her little sister, the little darling glaring daggers at the other children. Asami and Rikichi were in the midst of their own fairwells, but it seemed as though there were quite a few who were growing short with Momo's own 'hogging' of Ayame and Ryōta. <em>'Its only fair. They've all known eachother for a while... I've been here only a few months.' <em>The other children cared about her- she knew that. They all cared for one another, they had to. But that didn't mean that time and length of knowing eachother was a factor that could be looked over.  
>The girl squeezed weakly back, brining Momo back to the harsh reality of the situation. "And don't you forget about me, neither!" she said, peering up into Momo's brown eyes. "Here," she began, reaching into her pocket, and grabbing out a small, flower shaped charm, "So you won' forget me." She then gave Momo a toothy grin, somehow managing to make it look like she was taking the departure in good heart.<br>"I wouldn't dare." Satisfied with Momo's reaction, the young girl nodded and attended to other matters in regards to the other children and folks about the place - giving them short but earnest farewells and well wishes, leaving Momo to stare at the dry, clay floor.

Ryōta let out a heavy breath, catching Momo's attention. "I have to go now, as well." _'Not you too.'_ Momo guarded her expression the best she could. "The exam is in the next week, and results should take less than a week to calculate. Because we're so far away, we have special consideration - the academy allows us to stay a week in advanced to prepare, and the week after to attend to other matters."  
>Momo nodded slowly. She was young, but she wasn't stupid. Ryōta wasn't slow, nor was he weak - the same as the other two - he would pass the test, and she would never see him again. She opened her mouth to speak a farewell, but it closed as tears threatened to flow. She bowed her head low. "I'm going to miss you, Ryōta-niisan." She took a deep breath, hoping to sturdy her trembling words, but it all came to nil as she felt Ryōta ruffled her hair.<br>"Don't go getting soft on me."  
>She was on the verge of breaking down when she felt a hard hit on her head, and her tears of sadness flowed as those of pain, as she quickly shot her head up in anger, her skull pulsating in a sharp pain. "What as that for!?" she growled, any shred of sorrow left manifesting in fury and frustration.<p>

Ryōta bore a proud grin. "Just tryin' to knock some sense into you, s'all." He glanced to the elder, who gave him impatient look, before swearing under his breath. "Chin up, little sister." He said finally, "and solider on. Nothing lasts forever - you'll get out of this hell hole some day. I'm just sorry I can't lend a hand."  
>Momo nodded, and wiped her eyes, hearing too clearly the bitterness her brother hid in his words. He hated having his decisions made for him, and going back on his word even more so. "Maybe…" Momo began, "Maybe I'll become an even better shinigami than you do."<br>He gave a laugh, his expression mocking, "You can most certainly try."  
>Momo folded her arms and stamped in defiance, "What makes you think I'll be a worse shinigami?" She accused, her voice hitching as the pain in her skull fluctuated.<p>

Ryōta took a step forward, his towering height even more evident as he did so, not quite trying to convey intimidation, but something more of a challenge. "I never said that."  
>"You implied it."<br>"Yeah, because of this," he scoffed, pushing the girl lightly on the shoulder, and just about falling her.  
>The girl floundered and huffed, cheeks flushing with embarrassment and fury. "You- That's not fair- I wasn't ready-" She felt small arms wrap around her from behind, and Momo glanced over her shoulders to see Ayame giving her elder sister a final goodbye.<br>"I love you, Momo-neesan."

Momo sighed, bidding farewell to the few moments she forgot about the sadness of the situation she was in. "And I love you, Aya-chan." Momo plastered on a smile and hugged the little girl back, before becoming determined to say one last thing to the child. "I just need you to promise me one last thing."  
>Ayame stood at attention, all the farewells and goodbyes were beginning to wear on her, "Anything."<br>Momo smiled, "Try you're best," she then tilted her head slightly, seeing the look of surprise on Ayame's face.  
>"But I always try…" she trailed, not wanting to cause arguments, but not wanting to sit through being treated like a child - even though she was one.<br>"I know, I know," Momo soothed, "That's not what I meant." She smiled softly when Ayame refocused her attention, "Even if things get really hard, can you please just promise me that you will never stop trying? As long as you try..." her voice softened, "I will always be proud of you."  
>Ayame stared at her for as moment, slowly nodding. "I promise."<p>

There was a weight off of her chest in that instant, and Momo couldn't help smiling in relief. Ayame smiled, too, giving Momo another tight squeeze, before taking her place beside the elder. "We best be off, then," He called, waving off the children. "Meredy-chan will be by later, alright? She'll make sure you kids are looked after." There was a wave of yeses and oks, before the group dispatched. Ayame was the first to wave good bye, followed by a brisk nodded and a funny face from Ryōta. Momo kept her smile strong, and waved the five of them off, standing rooted in place until they were well and truly out of sight.

The rest of the kids had gone by then. Meredy was a loud elder, and when she arrived, she'd holler for the youngsters to crop up front and center - so there was no real need for them to all stay in place. They lived on the fringe of the slums - not too far off of the woods, which meant crime wasn't so bad, and there were enough people in the small region who loved the orphan kids enough to keep an eye on them. Until Meredy showed, it was free-for-all.

Some of the other kids made off like mad, some chatting to the other elderly, others tiptoeing around those old homes, those affected by the leaving of the eldest and youngest choosing to vent grief on their own. "Hey, Momo-san." ventured a voice, and it wasn't until Momo had forced herself out of he trance that she realized she was being spoken to. The boy was young, somewhere between her and Ayame, his hair a curled mop of brunette, and eyes of the same colour. "I'm gonna miss them, too," he announced head down cast. _'That's right'_, Momo reminded herself, I'm not the only one losing my family today. Momo took in a deep breath, before enveloping the boy in a massive hug.  
>"I know." She said, refusing to let the younger boy out of her grasp.<br>He stopped writhing for a moment, and hugged her back. "It's ok to be sad."

That's all it took, six little words and Momo couldn't take it anymore. She released the boy and nodded her head. She gave him an encouraging smile and patted his matted hair, before turning on her heel and walking quickly in opposite direction.

...

Author's Note: Second chapter done and dusted- As always, I would love to see what people think- from tips to my writing or what they'd perhaps like to see come of this little fanfic series that I'm intending. Thank you for reading!


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